It must have been frustrating. When Jairus left his house his daughter was at the point of death. But instead of preparing for a funeral, he heard Jesus has just arrived in town. So he went to find Jesus with the hopes of bringing him back to the house in time to heal his daughter. But on the way, Jesus had an unexpected faith encounter with a woman who was desperately sick. Rather than speaking to Jesus, she pressed through the crowd and touched his garment, and was immediately healed. While Jesus carried on a conversation about this miracle, a messenger arrived to tell Jairus that his beloved 12-year-old daughter had just died, so he need not bother Jesus any further. When Jesus overheard that conversation, instead of expressing his condolences to the father he said, "Don't be afraid. Only believe" (Mark 5:21-43).
We know the end of the story. Jesus went back to the house and raised the little girl from the dead. But his encouragement to Jairus before accompanying him showed the two responses open to the dad, and maybe even a combination of the two. In the end, it was about which response would end up controlling the moment. One response was faith. The other response was fear.
To be honest, fear is one of our greatest enemies. Fear is a natural response, due to our condition of attempting to live with "self" at the center. Fear is the root of so many other dysfunctions in our souls and lives. Fear is the root of anger. Fear is behind hatred, hostility, and violence. We fear powerlessness and the loss of control, so we compensate by attempting to control others, and even our own lives. We fear rejection. We fear inferiority, so we feel the need to identify people or groups that we claim are "inferior" and may even discriminate against them. Fear fuels pride and lust. Fear keeps us continually upset, looking for ways to counteract our state of anxiety. Fear weakens our will by releasing a response of fight, flight, or freeze. Ultimately, fear leads to depression, despair, hopelessness, relational failures, personal failures, and death.
Fear is the opposite response of faith. Fear is anti-faith. Fear says, "I need to be in control of my life or this situation" while realizing it is impossible to do so. Faith says, "I am incapable of being in control of my life or this situation, so I trust Jesus to know what to do and to do the best thing for me and mine."
Evidently, Timothy, the young protege of Paul, was timid and anxious by nature. Even so, Paul entrusted him with major apostolic assignments. Paul also knew the need to remind Timothy that "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). Paul was saying that the Spirit of God who is with us and in us has the power to enable us to do whatever needs to be done in life. It is the power of the Holy Spirit working within us that provides love and a sound mind. The Holy Spirit can cause true love to fill and overflow our lives. The Holy Spirit can teach us and give us God's thoughts and God's wisdom in our saved, whole minds. It is love that will drive out fear, and it is wisdom in a sound mind that will offset the overwhelming even paralyzing effects of fear.
I know how difficult it can be when a wave of anxiety washes over us. Living with a global pandemic has made life that much more challenging for those who tend to suffer from anxiety. Coming through a very hostile, divisive political season, being bombarded on every side with fear-provoking conspiracy theories has made it almost unbearable. That's when I think of Jairus and Jesus. It seemed hopeless. His daughter was dead. But with Jesus, nothing is ever hopeless. Nothing is impossible with God. Faith says, "God is always in control. Nothing ever happens that God is unaware of and is planning to redeem. In the end, I can trust God to always do the right thing. All is well and all will be well." Don't be afraid. Only believe.
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